Fluid applicator



Feb. 14, 1939;

c J, ROHLAND FLUID APFLICATOR Filed Aug. 8, 1936 INVENTOR Patented Feb. 14, 1939 UNITED STATES FLUID APPLICATOR Curt J. Rohland, Seekonk, Mass, assignor to The Nestle-Le Mur Company, New York, N. Y., a

corporation of Ohio Application August 8,

4 Claims.

This invention relates to fluid applicators and more particularly to applicators for depositing a hair treating fluid on pads used in hair waving.

In various hair waving processes a strand of hair is coiled and covered with a pad of absorbent material such as flannel or felt moistened with a suitable fluid. The pad is then generally heated sufficiently to vaporize some or all of the fluid. Heretofore the pad generally has been moistened in a promiscuous or unmeasured manner by means of a wet cloth or sponge. Although "it is desirable that a definite optimum quantity of fluid should be applied to each pad and its encased coil of hair, such previous practice militated against this and made it unlikely that consistently uniform treatments would be given'by different operators, or even by the same operator at different times.

A general object of this invention is to provide means for conveniently applying a determined uniform amount of fluid to such pads.

In a copending application, Serial No. 86,754, filed June 23, 1936, there is shown and claimed an improved type of padwhich is useful in many hair treating processes and especially in a method of Croquignole waving described in such application and described and claimed in its parent application, Serial No. 69,641, filed March 19, 1936.

A more particular object of this invention is to provide an improved applicator for moistening pads of the kind described in said applications.

Some specific objects of the invention are to provide an applicator which is capable of transferring a definitely controlled amount of fluid to a deflnitearea of an absorbent pad, and in which the amount of fluid thus transferred is preferably of a determined optimum quantity for the given operation.

Additional objects are to provide an improved fluid transferring and measuring applicator which is easy to make and easy to manipulate, is simple and economical, free of parts likely to get out of order, easy to keep clean, and accurate 1936, Serial No. 95,046

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises an article of manufacture possessing the. features,- properties, and the relation of elements which will be exemplified in the article hereinafter described and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an applicator volving principles of the invention; n

Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the applicator shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation on a relatively reduce scale, showing the loading of fluid in theappli- In accordance with this invention a fluid transferring applicator is provided which has on its under side a plurality of grooves or recesses which may be of any suitable configuration so long as their individual side walls are sufficiently close to each other to enable the fluid which is to be transferred to retain itself therein by surface tension. The combined volumes of these grooves or recesses are preferably of a determined optimum value for a given fluid using operation. When such applicator is placed in contact with an absorbent pad made from material such as flannel or felt, the tensed surface of the fluid contained therein is penetrated by the fibres of the pad, which, due to its relatively high capillary attraction withdraws all of the fluid from 4 accordingly be controlled through suitable design of t the latter.

Referring more particularly tothe drawing, 6

in an integral unit from any suitable material, although they may be assembled from separate parts, if desired. A preferred material is rubber, vulcanized so as to have some, but not too much, flexibility and compressibility. When the device is thus made it may be rolled or squeezed in order to aid in breaking the surface tension of the fluid carried thereby, as will more clearly appear. However, it is not strictly essential that the material from which the applicator is made be flexible or compressible, and rigid materials, such as hard rubber, various synthetic resin products or the like may be employed with success.

In the illustrated embodiment, the under side of base I is provided with a plurality of transverse grooves l3, separated by ribs l4. These ribs and grooves extend from side to side of the applicator and are respectively of uniform dimensions except that the two end ribs l4 may be somewhat wider than the rest. The side walls of the grooves are close enough together so that each groove is adapted, upon immersion in a fluid, to enable such fluid to retain itself therein by surface tension. The particular dimension of the fluid retaining groove may depend on the nature of the fluid itself and, if desired, upon the type of moistening application to be made, as well as upon the required fluid volume.

In the case of an applicator designed to transfer a hair treating fluid to a pad of the kind described in the above mentioned application, Serial No. 86,754, the applicator dimensions may be adapted to the requirements of that particular type of pad and the process with which it is used. Such pad is illustrated in Fig. 7 of this application and comprises an absorbent body portionl5 of flannel or felt which is backed by a bendable but self-sustaining layer of fairly stiff metallic foil I6 confined thereagainst by a parchment paper backing II having its edges folded over the top face of the pad and adhesively fastened thereto. This pad is dimensioned for Croquignole waving and measures about 2.5 inches .from side to side and is 2.63 inches long. The

fluid which is used to moisten the pad preferably comprises an alkaline solution containing borates, sulphites, carbonates or phosphates, together with a sulphonated castor oil or other vegetable oil as a penetrating agent. This fluid is applied lengthwise along the central part of the pad which is then wrapped around a coiled strand of hair and heated sufliciently to vaporize at least some of the fluid. The width of the area to which the fluid is applied on the pad is approximately determined by the amount of the pad which is in direct contact with the coiled strand of hair. With such a fluid, and in such a. process, an optimum fluid deposite comprises a volume of about 0.1

cubic inch distributed down the entire length of the pad over a width of about one inch.

The particularly illustrated applicator is capable of transferring such an optimum fluid deposit, and to this end it has a lengthwise dimension of 2.63 inches from the outer faces of opposite ribs .'The fluid, which in this case is somewhat oily,

is well able to retain itself in grooves of this size.

In use the applicator is immersed in fluid in a flat bottom dish, as shown in Fig. 3, until the surface of the fluid extends well above the bottom of the grooves l3. Upon withdrawal, a quantity of the fluid is retained in each groove, as shown in Fig. 4, there being sufficient surface tension across the bottom and side edges of such grooves to effect this, particularly if the applicator is held in a reasonably horizontal position with its bottom facing downwardly. The loaded applicator is then seated on the absorbent face of pad I5, with its ends registered with the ends of the pad, being transversely located approximately along the center of such pad. The small spaces between the fibres of the pad afford a higher capillarity than the groove of the applicator, and the pad fibres break the surface tension of the fluid carried by the applicator and withdraw it, as shown in Fig. 6. The fluid is entirely withdrawn from the applicator by the pad, this withdrawal being shown as having been only partially affected at the stage illustrated. Upon removal of the applicator the pad is charged with approximately 0.1 cubic inch of fluid over a central area somewhat greater than one inch in width and along its entire length, in which condition it is ready to be applied to a coiled strand of hair and to be used throughout the remaining appro priate steps of the hair curling process.

The particularly described applicator is especially well suited for the described illustrative type of operation, but it will be obvious that various changes in dimensiorrand configuration of its parts can be made within the principles of the invention. grooves, longitudinal or curved grooves may be employed, and the sectional contour of such grooves may be reasonably varied. A series of pockets or recesses may be provided in lieu of grooves. The dimensions of the grooves or recesses may be varied at will within the limiting factor imposed by the surface tension of the fluid to be transferred, and with some fluids capable of much tension, the applicator could have a single relatively large recess bounded by suitable side walls. The over-all dimensions and volume of the applicator may be suitably varied to fit it for various operations.

It will be seen that an applicator has been provided which is well suited to fulfill its intended functions. Since certain changes may be made in the above article and different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or W Having described my invention, what I claimas new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A hand applicator formed of solid rubberv or like fluid impervious material having a base provided with a generally crenellate underside comprising alternate ribs and grooves, the grooves extending only partially into said base and each being dimensioned to hold fluid therein-under its own surface tension. v

2. A hand applicator formed of solid rubber or like fluid impervious material having a base pro- Thus instead of straight transverse vided with a generally crenellate underside coma fluid therein under its own surface tension,

prising alternate ribs and grooves, the grooves extending only partially into said base and each being dimensioned to hold fluid therein under its own surface tension, the open sides of said grooves forming a substantial proportion of the area of the underside of said base and the combined volumes or said grooves having a predetermined .value.

said-base and each being dimensioned to hold the lower faces of said ribs terminating in a common plane afiording an applying face, said face having a determined area over which said grooves are substantially uniformly distributed.

4. A hand applicator formed. of solid rubber or like fluid impervious material having side edges and a fiat bottom, said bottom having grooves running lengthwise thereacross, each groove having its side openinginto said bottom and each of its ends opening into one of said side edges, saidgrooves being dimensioned to hold a fluid under its own surface tension upon being immersed therein.

CURT J. ROI-LAND. 

